Application Security Architect

<h3>Responsibilities:</h3><h2>Security Architecture &amp; Standards:</h2><ul>
<li>Define and maintain secure-by-default reference architectures for common patterns: web apps, mobile backends, microservices, public and partner APIs, and event-driven services</li>
<li>Own core application security architecture decisions: authentication and authorisation, session management, API security, secrets management, multi-tenant isolation, and security logging and auditing</li>
<li>Lead the redesign of user authentication and the delivery of security features into the product</li>
<li>Develop and roll out application security standards, secure-coding guidelines, configuration standards, reusable design patterns, and architecture decision records (ADRs) that engineers can apply without a security expert in the room</li>
<li>Define internal policies for the safe use of AI-assisted and vibe-coding tools</li>
<li>Define security requirements for acquired technology and guide its secure integration</li>
<h2>Threat Modelling &amp; Design Review:</h2>
<ul>
<li>Establish and run a threat-modelling operating model, covering scope, cadence, templates, and facilitation, proportionate to each product's risk tier</li>
<li>Own the security review stage of the new product approval process, covering architecture design and configuration</li>
<li>Lead design reviews for high-impact initiatives: new products, new auth flows, payment and sensitive-data flows, platform migrations, and major refactors</li>
<li>Identify design-level risks and agree practical, prioritised mitigations with engineering teams</li>
<h2>Secure SDLC, DevSecOps &amp; Supply Chain:</h2>
<ul>
<li>Assess the current state of application security, propose improvements, and drive the secure SDLC strategy with Engineering and Security leadership</li>
<li>Oversee AppSec processes and own the tooling strategy (SAST, DAST, IAST, SCA, and secrets scanning), including how findings flow back to engineering</li>
<li>Embed security controls as guardrails in CI/CD through policy-as-code, with agreed enforcement and escalation paths</li>
<li>Partner with DevOps to organise repository management and prevent supply-chain attacks, covering safe component usage, dependency management, SBOMs, and build integrity</li>
<li>Improve the security of our internal tools</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<h3>Requirements:</h3><h2>Experience:</h2><ul>
<li>8+ years in technology, including 5+ years in a dedicated application or product security role, with a strong engineering background and hands-on architecture or design ownership</li>
<li>Proven track record creating, documenting, and rolling out security standards, patterns, and best practices across a complex engineering organisation</li>
<li>Deep, demonstrable threat-modelling experience across product portfolios</li>
<h2>Technical:</h2>
<ul>
<li>Experience designing and implementing a secure SDLC in a cloud-native environment. Strong AWS knowledge is required, and exposure to GCP or other clouds is welcome</li>
<li>Strong command of OWASP standards (Top 10, ASVS) and DevSecOps practice, including AppSec tooling (SAST, DAST, IAST, SCA, secrets scanning) and vulnerability management</li>
<li>Deep understanding of modern distributed architectures: microservices, REST and GraphQL APIs, event-driven systems, OAuth2/OIDC, and containerised workloads (Docker, Kubernetes). You should be able to reason about their trust boundaries, attack surface, and data flows across web and mobile clients</li>
<h2>Collaboration:</h2>
<ul>
<li>Exceptional ability to influence and align engineering teams without direct authority, and to brief both engineers and executives</li>
<li>Pragmatism and strategic thinking: you balance the ideal with the achievable, protect delivery throughput, and turn long-term direction into an actionable plan</li>
<li>Clear written communication through diagrams, ADRs, and patterns, plus a track record of mentoring and cross-functional collaboration</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<h3>Nice to have:</h3><ul>
<li>Experience in fintech, trading, brokerage, or another regulated environment</li>
<li>Awareness of relevant regulatory and compliance drivers: FCA and CySEC operational resilience, GDPR, and PCI DSS</li>
<li>Software supply-chain security, including SBOMs and artifact and build integrity</li>
<li>Experience securing AI-integrated product features, or using AI to scale an AppSec programme</li>
<li>Experience building or running a Security Champions programme</li>
<li>CSSLP, GIAC GDSA, or a hands-on offensive security certification. Certifications are valued but secondary to demonstrated experience</li>
</ul><h3>What you'll get in return:</h3><li>You will join the company, that cares about work and life balance</li><li>Annual Bonus based on the performance review cycle</li><li>Generous Annual Leave Policy</li><li>Medical Insurance and Pension fund, with additional benefit packages based on the location</li><li>Hybrid working model (3 days from our modern office and 2 days fully remotely)</li><li>Comprehensive Workation Policy with 30 more remote days available.</li><li>Possibility of taking two additional days of paid leave per year to dedicate to volunteering efforts.</li>